Painting of surfaces having numerous facets and/or curved surfaces is a time consuming process that requires the application of several coats (layers) of paint. Such surfaces are often found on vehicles which may have complex surface combinations that include facets, curves and compound curves. While the primary function of paint is often corrosion control, paint also provides a distinguishing livery that may be applied as a top coat for utilitarian, branding, aesthetic, and/or marketing purposes. In contrast to monochromatic primer and base coats, liveries may be multicolored and have complex geometries which may include complex digital patterns, logos, graphics or even photorealistic images. Creating these graphics requires significant time and labor expenditures. This is particularly true of the initial masking step that obliges workers to manually fix a stencil on the vehicle to prevent overspray into non-decorated areas. Because of the difficulty in accurately laying down the masking material on large, complex surfaces this process is prone to error and time consuming. In addition, masking operations and the multiple paint/cure cycles limit throughput in paint hangars, which further increases operational costs.
Ink or paint-jet technology has the potential to eliminate masking requirements by directly printing graphics on the vehicular surfaces. This capability is analogous to inkjet printing on paper and uses many of the same technologies. Current inkjet printing techniques have demonstrated great versatility with respect to scale and printing substrate. Commercial billboard makers have used large-scale inkjet printing for years as a means of creating highly detailed marketing signs. More recently, vehicle manufacturers have experimented with this technique. However, current inkjet printing technologies can only reliably and accurately print on flat or nearly flat surfaces. To fully leverage the advantages of inkjet printing on vehicular surfaces, one must be able to print on all (or most) vehicle surfaces, including those with complex physical geometries such as compound curves.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.